Gun Control – 22 Things That Could Be Done

The event stage in Washington D.C with the Capital building squarely framed in the background. (MSNBC)

Hearing each of the young students speak out against gun control today in Washington D.C., I heard the speeches I have been waiting to hear from our “adult” politicians for years but have not heard. The speeches from students as young as 11 years old were elegant, forceful and logical. 11-year-olds gave speeches far more compelling than paid professional politicians with decades of public experience. Who was the last politician whose speech moved you to tears? And not just of emotion, but of joy for compelling arguments of truth so long absent. The arguments for gun control are so basic, even an eleven-year-old could not only comprehend it, but articulate it. Why can’t our 60- and 70-year old politicians grasp it?

If you hear politicians who say there is nothing that can be done about gun control, Republican or Democrat, reject them. If they don’t know what to do about gun control, educate them.

Aside from the fact that the Second Amendment does not – and never did – mean that every Joe Sixpack down the street can have a gun, there are plenty of common-sense things that can be done now, legislatively, at the federal, state, and local levels.

The first thing that can and should be done is to ban assault weapons. (A psychotic gunman would not have shot 17 people with an AR15 if he didn’t have an AR15.) Beyond banning assault weapons, there are many, many things that can be done to reduce gun violence. Here is a list of 22 things that can be done. So don’t think that nothing can be done about gun violence.

1.) Background checks before ALL gun purchases, including:

criminal history?

Terrorist/no-fly list?

expelled from schools?

number of guns already owned?

mental illness?

social media threats?

animal cruelty history?

require fingerprints.

Ban on gun sales to fugitives from the law

2.) Close the gun show loophole

ALL gun sales and transfers should follow the same rules.

4.) Limit on the number of weapons a person can legally own or posses

5.) Limit on the amount of ammunition a person can legally own or possess.

6.) Prohibit gun sales to persons with a mental illness.

7.) Require a waiting period on gun purchases.

8.) Ban the sale, transfer and possession of automatic weapons.

These should not be legally sold to anyone whether they are mentally ill or not.

9.) Ban the sale, transfer and possession of semi-automatic weapons, including bump stocks.

These should not be legally sold to anyone whether they are mentally ill or not.

10.) Severe criminal charges for the parents of shooters who knew of the shooter’s mental illness and knew he had a gun in the house without reporting it to authorities.

11.) Criminal charges against gun stores, or others, who provide a gun to someone who uses it to kill someone.

12.) Criminal charges against an individual who knows of threats to kill someone and doesn’t report it promptly to authorities.

13.) Criminal charges against an individual in an investigative or authority organization who knows of threats to kill someone and doesn’t investigate it or promptly report to other relevant authorities.

14.) Charges against anyone who instructs minors how to shoot guns and then that minor shots someone.

15.) Raise the age to buy or carry a gun to 21.

16.) Require gun stores to report attempts to buy a large number of guns or large amounts of ammunition.

17.) Require a license for gun ownership – proving they have been trained on how to use a gun.

18.) Enact a ban on gun trafficking.

19.) Require guns in the home and other places be stored in a locked container.

20.) Encourage gun buy-back programs.

21.) Make it possible for local townships and boroughs to pass ordinances prohibiting gun stores from locating there.